Chevron funds hygiene corners at four schools, one madrasa in Habiganj

The dedicated spaces will provide safe, accessible, and comfortable environments where 1,800 adolescent girls can maintain their hygiene

The Bangladesh subsidiary of energy giant Chevron is funding hygiene corners at four schools and one madrasa in Habiganj to provide safe, accessible, and comfortable environments for girls to maintain their hygiene and manage menstruation privately and confidently.

Through the SMILE project, implemented by Swisscontact, the hygiene corners will support nearly 1,800 adolescent girls in the district, the company said in a press release.

“At the centre of this innovation are IoT-enabled sanitary napkin dispenser machines that allow real-time inventory monitoring, timely replenishment, and efficient usage tracking, demonstrating how technology can strengthen essential hygiene services even in rural communities,” it says. “Most importantly, girls are provided subsidised access to feminine hygiene products, making sanitary pads affordable for low-income families while encouraging healthier menstrual practices.”

Chevron says the initiative to mark Menstrual Hygiene Day is important in Bangladesh, where “one in four girls are absent from school during menstruation due to unaffordability of sanitary pads, while over 85% of women and girls are still found to lack access to affordable menstrual products and adequate sanitation facilities”.

The company says that the project is “empowering the girls to stay in school, developing lifelong healthy hygiene habits and giving the freedom to move forward with confidence, without something as natural as menstruation holding them back”.